The Economy of British America, 1607-1789 (Published for the Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture)

By the American Revolution, the farmers and city-dwellers of British America had achieved, individually and collectively, considerable prosperity. The nature and extent of that success are still unfolding. In this first comprehensive assessment of where research on prerevolutionary economy stands, what it seeks to achieve, and how it might best proceed, the authors discuss those areas in which traditional work remains to be done and address new possibilities for a 'new economic history' Introduction: The Plan Of The Argument -- Part I. Points Of Departure. Malthus And The Market: Approaches To The Economy Of British America -- The Strategy Of Economic Development: Mercantilsm, Colonization, And The Navigation System -- The Course Of Economic Growth: An Overview -- The Centrality Of Trade -- Part Ii. The Colonial Economy -- A Regional Approach. New England And Atlantic Canada -- The Upper South -- The West Indies -- The Lower South -- The Middle Colonies -- Part Iii. The Colonial Economy -- A Topical Approach. The Growth Of Population -- The Colonial Labor Force, The Pattern Of Urbanization, And The Spread Of Settlement -- Wealth And Welfare -- Consumption, The Import Trade, And The Domestic Economy -- Early American Agriculture -- Colonial Manufacturing And Extractive Industries -- Government, Business, And The Colonial Economy -- Part Iv. Crisis And Change. Economic Growth, Revolution, And The Consequences Of Independence. John J. Mccusker, Russell R. Menard. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [381]-487) And Index. 1985 study of the pre-Revolutionary American economy, bringing together recent scholarship on the colonies from Canada to the Caribbean. Addresses remaining gaps in scholarship and discusses possibilities for new economic history. Includes a supplementary bibliography, with relevant works published since the 1985 original publication of this book. (Published for the Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture) For most economic historians of colonial America the pressing issues in the field revolve around growth and development.